My grandfather gave up his rights as a citizen of the empire of Austria-Hungary back in 1929. According to his petition for naturalization, it was his “bona fide intention to renounce forever all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, and particularly to The Republic of Austria and the Present Government of Hungary.” Still, I feel a strong attachment to the nation where he got his start in life before emigrating at the age of 2 ½.

Young Pista Toth ("Pista" means little Stephen in Hungarian) made the journey with his mother and siblings from his family's home village of Gelej, Hungary to the port of Hamburg, Germany and then to New York City aboard the U.S.S. Pennsylvania in 1907. Here are their names on the passenger list.

Though I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit the land of my ancestors, the culture and traditions of Hungary have become a part of my identity, as has the Catholic faith passed down to me through my Hungarian family tree.

I am saddened by the stories of the suffering of the Hungarian people (including my own distant cousins) under Communist rule, and often wonder how the lives of those in my branch of the family might have been different if my great-grandparents had not made the decision to take their four young children to America at the birth of the 20th century.

With this background in my family, I was very interested to hear the news that a new Hungarian Constitution taking effect in January 2012 takes brave steps to renounce its former Communist overlords and the current European trend toward modernism and reaffirm its national heritage based on the thousand-year-old Christian and nationalist foundation of Hungary begun by King St. Stephen.

Hungary's national treasure - the Crown of King St. Stephen - was a gift from the Pope in 1000 A.D.

The constitution is decidedly Christian, pro-tradition, pro-family, pro-children and pro-life: all important elements of the Catholic faith. Below are a few elements of and excerpts from the new constitution, including its National Avowal of Faith (which I encourage you to read in full).

A re-emphasis on Hungary’s ties to Christendom:

“We are proud, that our King St. Stephen established the Hungarian state on firm foundations a thousand years ago and our country a part of Christian Europe.”

“We recognize the role of Christianity in preserving our nationhood.”

A statement of nationalism and ethnic pride of the Hungarian people:

“We respect the achievements of our historic constitution and the Holy Crown, which embodies the continuity of the Hungarian constitutional state and the unity of the nation.”

“We are proud of our forefathers who struggled for survival, freedom, and independence of our country.”

“We are proud that our people have battled for centuries to protect Europe and have, with their talent and diligence, enriched her common values.”

“We undertake to preserve and nurture our legacy, the Hungarian culture, our unique language, the man-made and natural treasures of the Carpathian-basin.”

A reestablishment of the family as the central focus of the state:

“We profess that the most important frameworks for our coexistence are the family and the nation.”

An effort to preserve the unity and culture of Hungary by attending to the needs of Hungarian emigrants outside of its borders:

“Motivated by the ideal of a unified Hungarian nation, Hungary shall bear a sense of responsibility for the destiny of Hungarians living outside her borders, shall promote their survival and development, and will continue to support their efforts to preserve their Hungarian culture, and foster their cooperation with each other and with Hungary.”

As Europe continues to reshape its identity in the 21st century – what has been termed a post-modern age – it is interesting for those of us with ties to our Hungarian Catholic heritage to watch the reaffirmation of the thousand-year-old faith foundation that is our legacy.

Saint Martin de Porres, upon learning of the financial hardships facing his Dominican priory.

Today, November 3, is the feast day of St. Martin de Porres. Born in Lima Peru, in 1579, he died on this date in 1639. He was canonized by Pope John XXIII in 1962. He is recognized as the first black canonized saint in the Western Hemisphere. He was a mulatto Dominican brother. He is among other things, the

St Martin de Porres "Saint of the Broom"

patron saint of barbers, and the patron saint of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Mississippi. Known also as St. Martin of Charity because of his work among the poor, and “the Saint of the broom” because of his devotion to work. His mother, a free woman of color when he was born, had been a slave; his father was a Spanish merchant.

At the age of ten, when his mother could not support him, Martin was apprenticed to a surgeon-barber. It was during this time that he learned to care for the sick and others. He greatly enjoyed the work.

Later, he became a servant at Lima’s Dominican priory. He chose at a young age to live a life of poverty, piety, and austerity while serving others. He spent hours at night in prayer. It is said that one night as Martin prayed before the Blessed Sacrament, the step of the altar on which he was kneeling caught fire. He remained where he was, seemingly oblivious to the conflagration.

Martin felt the call to the Dominican order; however, the order at the time had a rule that “no black person may be received to the holy habit or profession of our order.” Martin continued to work at the priory, displaying patience and compassion with the sick.

Soon miracles were being attributed to Martin. It was said that he could cure the seriously ill with just a cup of water.

He is said to have passed through locked doors to care for the ill. Though he never left Lima, he was seen elsewhere, in Mexico, Africa, China, and Japan.

In Lima, Martin de Porres built an orphanage and school. A vegetarian, he also cared for animals and founded a shelter for dogs and cats.

Impressed by Martin’s piety and the miracles, the Dominicans dropped their racial restrictions and welcomed him fully into the order.

During his lifetime, Martin was a close friend of both St John Macias and St Rose of Lima.

Martin de Porres died in Lima, Peru, on November 3, 1639. He was beatified in 1837 by Pope Gregory XVI and canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. In addition to being the patron saint of barbers, he is the patron saint of mixed-race people and all those seeking interracial harmony.

Martin de Porres is widely revered throughout the world, but has been especially embraced by the African-American Catholic community. In 1936, the Southern Dominican Province of the USA built the St Martin de Porres Shrine in South Carolina, along with a school and a church to serve the African-American community. Now known as the St Martin de Porres Shrine and Institute, the establishment was relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, in 2001.

Informed estimates place the number of Catholics of African descent in America at about 3% of the total Catholic population of the United States. Within the worldwide Church itself, recent data show that persons of African descent comprise nearly 25% of all Catholics.

With so few black American Catholics, it’s a wonder that there’s any significant national black Catholic history to celebrate. But there is; oh, there is!

I am a second generation African-American Catholic. Both of my parents were converts. On the other hand, my wife traces her Catholic roots at least to 1722 and an unbroken direct line of descent ever since.

National Black Catholic History Month was first proclaimed in 1990 by the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) to honor and celebrate the achievements and legacies of black American Catholics. The NBCCC is one of several groups that make up the National Black Catholic Congress. Among the others are The African-American Bishops of the United States, The National Black Sisters Conference, The National Association of Black Catholic Administrators, The Knights and Ladies of Peter Claver, the National Black Seminarians Association, and the Institute for Black Catholic Studies, which is located at Xavier University in New Orleans.

It was a thrill for me to learn about black Catholics in America. While I was growing up in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, I never saw a black priest. I was shocked when one day my father gave me a copy of the Josephite magazine, which is published by the Josephite Brothers, originally a “black” (now the say “interracial” order of religious men, including priests). In fact, I was over 40 years old before I encountered a black priest. I’d met a Chinese-American priest when I was about 20.

Again, my wife’s experience was different. Growing up in the very Catholic town of St Louis, she always saw the multiple ethnicities of Catholicism, and encountered a black priest in elementary school. But when she entered the Army as a second lieutenant in 1974, being black and Catholic became an administrative nightmare. The personnel folks apparently had a manual that said “Black= Baptist,” or at least “Black ≠ Catholic.” Her dogtags and records were changed several times to “White/Catholic” or “Black/Baptist.” [May be it was just the Army. . . I had no such problem when I entered the Air Force in 1972!]

I think the first time I ever met another black Catholic who was not in my family was in the Air Force in 1972 when I met my friend Dave Ross.

At any rate, there is a lot of black Catholic history, and we’ll be bringing some of it to you here at The Catholic Gene during this month. Let’s start with a timeline of Catholic Africana.

AD 40 The Ethiopian Eunuch is baptized by Philip the Deacon (Acts 8:26-40), bring the first black convert to Christianity.

189 St Victor I became first Pope from Africa.

311 St Melchiades becomes second Pope from Africa.

354 St Augustine is born in Africa

492 St Gelasius becomes third (and so far, last) Pope from Africa.

1491 King Nzinga-a-Nkuwu Mbemba (Afonso the Good) of the Kongo and his subjects made their profession of faith.

1518 King Nzinga’s son, Henrique, is consecrated the Titular Bishop of Utica by Pope Leo X, becoming the first native bishop of West Africa.

1526 St Benedict the Moor is born.

1527 Estevanico becomes first African to set foot in future United States.

1565 Town of St Augustine, Florida, is founded. Black Catholics arrive in Florida.

1579 St Martin de Porres is born.

1500s-1800s Transatlantic Slave Trade thrives.

European explorers bring Africans to Western hemisphere.

1829 Mother Mary Lange founds the Oblate Sisters of Providence, an order for religious women of color in Baltimore.

1854 Daniel Rudd, founder of National Black Catholic Congress, is born a slave in Kentucky.

1854 James Augustine Healy, first African-American priest (or was he? See upcoming post) is ordained.

1869 St Josephine Bakhita is born in Darfur (Sudan);sold into slavery at age 6.

1886 Augustus Tolton, said to be first African-American priest (but was he really? See upcoming post), is ordained.

1889 Daniel Rudd convenes first National Black Catholic Congress.

The twentieth century brought opportunities and challenges for black Catholics in America. But first, there was the slavery issue.